Conversion kit adapter for dispensers

ABSTRACT

A CONVERSION KIT FOR CONVERTING LIQUID EJECTOR PUMPS TO FIT ONTO CONTAINERS OF DIFFERENT SIZES. THE PUMP HAS A DIP TUBE SURROUNDED AT ITS UPPER END BY A COLLAR THAT HAS A LATERALLY PROJECTING FLANGE AT ITS LOWER END. THE VARIANT-SIZED CONTAINER CAP HAS A HOLE PASSING OVER THE FLANGE SO IT CAN SURROUND THE TUBULAR COLLAR. A RESILIENT SPLIT WASHER HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING LARGE ENOUGH TO PASS AROUND THE COLLAR BUT NOT OVER THE FLANGE HOLDS THE CAP ABOVE THE FLANGE. BELOW THE FLANGE THERE IS ANOTHER RESILIENT RETAINER RING PRESSED SNUGLY INTO THE CAP, AND SEALINGLY ENGAGES AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE LOWER FACE OF THE FLANGE. IT HAS A CONICAL DEPENDING GUIDE FOR THE DIP TUBE.

. United States Patent [72] Inventor Roy T. Ellis Dayton, Ohio [2]] Appl. No. 830,400 [22] Filed June 4,1969 [45] Patented June 28, i971 [73] Assignee Rubber-Seal Products Company, Inc.

Dayton, Ohio [54] CONVERSION KIT ADAPTER FOR DISPENSERS 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

222/542, 222/567 [5 1] Int. Cl 865d 47/34 [50] Field of Search 222/320, 321, 382, 383, 542, 567

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,022,208 11/1935 Lacke 222/383UX Primary Examiner- Robert B, Reeves Assistant Examiner- Frederick R. Handren Attorney-Kingsland, Rogers, Ezell, Eilers and Robbins ABSTRACT: A conversion kit for converting liquid ejector pumps to fit onto containers of different sizes. The pump has a dip tube surrounded at its upper end by a collar that has a laterally projecting flange at its lower end. The variant-sized container cap has a hole passing over the flange so it can surround the tubular collar. A resilient split washer having a central opening large enough to pass around the collar but not over the flange holds the cap above the flange. Below the flange there is another resilient retainer ring pressed snugly into the cap, and sealingly engages around the periphery of the lower face of the flange. It has a conical depending guide for the dip tube.

1 CONVERSION KIT ADAPTER FOR DISPENSERS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention consists of an adapter or conversion kit that will permit the use of the ejector pump on cans or receptacles having different kinds of mouths. It provides a readily installable cap which may be threaded or similarly secured onto the container with an airtight seal. The adapter can be installed quickly and removed quickly for use of the pump on another type of receptacle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the adapter applied to the pump and a receptacle;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cap;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the split washer;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the retaining ring; and

FIG. 5 is an elevation of the retaining ring partly in section.

In the drawings, the receptacle is shown as a can having an externally threaded mouth or neck 11. This may be a conventional tin can, bottle, plastic receptacle, or the like, but needs a firm upper edge 12 for a purpose to appear. The pump 13 may be a familiar type of pump having a pumping piston, not shown, operated by a spring to draw liquid into a pumping chamber through a dip tube 15 extending into the can 10 past an inflow permitting check valve, not shown. When the handle 14 is compressed, it expels the liquid through an outlet spray or jet 17 past an outflow-permitting check valve. Since the pumping parts are conventional, they are not described in detail. The piston, suction-producing spring and check valves are not shown, as they are conventional.

The pump has a vertical collar portion 20, preferably cylindrical, with a flange 21 projecting laterally at the bottom thereof. The dip tube 15 extends below the collar to the lower part of the receptacle 10. The collar and flange are parts of the pump itself, but may be added to it if they are not already present.

The adapter includes a cap 25 which has a skirt portion 26 that is threaded to engage over the neck 11 of the can 10. As illustrated, the cap 25 and the receptacle 10 are shown of steel, but these materials can be varied, provided adequate rigidity is present for present purposes. The cap 25 has a center opening 27 that is slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the flange 21 on the pump. Therefore, the cap 25 can be slipped over the flange to lie adjacent the collar 20, as shown in FIG. I.

In order to prevent the cap from slipping back off the collar, a split washer 29 is applied. This washer may be made of resilient springy material, and preferably is of relatively stiff but resilient plastic material. It is of an outer diameter to fit snugly into the cap 25, and its inner diameter is less than that of the flange 21 but greater than that of the collar 20, and engages closely but not bindingly about the collar 20. Its split portion 30 permits it to be installed after the cap 25 has been passed over the flange.

There is a retaining ring 34 having an outer portion 35 that fits snugly within the skirt 26 of the cap, preferably above the threads, tightly enough that it normally does not come out of the cap. This can be made of material such as polyethylene, which is both resilient and somewhat pliable. When the cap is threaded over the neck 11 of the can 10, the upper portion 12 of the neck presses against the outer rim of the ring 34 and compresses both it and the washer 29 sealingly against the inside top wall ofthe cap 25.

Inwardly from its rim the ring 34 engages against the lower peripheral surface of the flange 21 of the collar 20 on the pump. The ring 34 has a sufficient resiliency to force the flange upwardly against the inner periphery of the washer 29 with force enough to provide a seal to prevent fluid from leaking around the flange 21. Of course, the split washer 29 must likewise have enough strength to withstand such force and provide the seal, at least to the extent of its inward projection within the hole 27 of the cap.

The retaining ring 34 has a depending conical portion 37 that extends downwardly and inwardly. This has two functions. It provides for a limited area of engagement of the ring against the flange 21 and, therefore,'permits the seal to be made more readily than could be if there were a large surface of interengagement. It also provides a spaced support for the dip tube 15 against its being knocked laterally out of position.

The operation of the adapter should be apparent from the foregoing. In order to put it in place, the cap 25 is slipped over the flange 21 to surround the collar 20. The split washer 29 is then installed, one end first and then the other end, with the cap 25 displaced upwardly above the flange 21 to permit the action. Then the retainer 34 is pushed into place snugly, its fit into the cap being tight enough to hold the parts together. These parts are pressed together when the cap 25 is screwed onto the neck 11 of the can 10. The stiff resiliency of the ring 34 causes it to press against the outer rim of the flange 21 to provide a seal around these parts to prevent escape of fluid.

Thereafter the pump is used in the conventional manner. Squeezing the handle 14 expels fluid out of the jet l7, and release of the handle 14 permits its spring to operate its piston in a pumping direction to draw more liquid from the dip tube into the pumping chamber.

I claim:

1. In an adapter to be applied to a pumping device that has a collar portion with a flange thereon, the adapter being for securing the pump to a fluid-containing receptacle of material to be expelled, which receptacle has a neck that has threads or like attaching means to engage with corresponding attaching means on the adapter, the combination of: a cap made of relatively stiff material, the cap having a hole through the top thereof of a size to pass over the flange on the pump, and having peripheral attaching means for securing the cap removably onto the receptacle; a washer member having a central opening larger than the collar portion but smaller than the flange, the member being insertable into the cap and having portions displaceable to permit the member to be applied over the flange but to engage the flange when the member is displaced against the inner top wall of the cap and to prevent the cap from being passed down over the flange; and a resilient retaining ring insertable into the cap with its periphery engageable with the cap to prevent accidental withdrawal of the retaining ring from the cap, the retaining ring having an inner upper surface extending all around and resiliently engaging against the lower surface of the flange to provide a seal thereat and to prevent downward movement of the pump into the cap.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the washer comprises a split ring.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the pumping device includes a dip tube and the retaining ring has a depending portion providing means surrounding the dip tube at a location spaced below the flange.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cap has a depending threaded skirt for engagement over threads on the receptacle.

5. The structure of claim 1 wherein the retaining ring is of a resilient plastic material.

6. The structure of claim 1 wherein the washer is a split ringtype washer made of springlike material. 

